The ferry ride from Cape May, New Jersey to Lewis, Delaware across the mouth of the Bay
is 17 miles. Although, in most places the
water in the mouth of the Bay is deep, at least 35 feet in the channel, there are places where shoals result
in water only 3 feet deep at low tide. In these areas, the moving water during the tides creates rip currents.
Striped bass hang out there preying on baitfish that are swept past, and that become disoriented by the
turbulent water. These are the famous "Cape May Rips." Every year, in both the spring and the fall, many
stripers including some very large ones, are caught there.

Team Insufishent Funds 382007 Cape May NJ, ASA Winner

The main technique used to catch stripers in "The Rips," is to drift live eels through the rips.
Either the incoming or outgoing tide are good for drifting through the rips. The important thing is that
the water is moving. The best times, however, are near the beginnings and ends of the tide when the water is
moving, but not too fast. Then you can get your eel down deep without using excessive weight, and
also keep the eel in the zone where the fish are for a longer period of time. Some skilled boat captains use a technique
called "stemming," where the boat motor is used to offset the effects of both current and wind to
control the drifting speed.

Fishermen also troll deep along the edges of the
shoals that form the Rips, using large lures like a "Mann's Stretch 25."

The 2007 American Striper Association's Striped Bass Tournament Trail included two
stops in Delaware Bay: one in the spring and one in the fall. On these stops, the ASA used the Cape May
South Jersey Marina as their base, and many of the tournament contestants fished the Cape May Rips.

The shoals that cause the Cape May Rips are marked so that deep draft ships can avoid them.
Most have names, such as: Eph Shoal, Middle Shoal, Pressy Wicks Shoal, Somers Shoal and Overfalls Shoal.

39 pound striper
caught in the Delaware Bay

Striper fishing back further in the bay can also be outstanding. There the most
popular and effective technique is chunking with fresh bunker. Usually fishermen anchor and use chum to form
a slick, and draw the stripers to the boat. Although all the chunks except the tail of a bunker are
used, the largest stripers are often caught using the head. The 39-pound striper shown to the right was caught
in the Delaware Bay on a bunker head.

Some productive locations for chunking for stripers in the Bay are:
The Horseshoe, Tussey's Slough, Bug Light, 60-Foot Slough, 20-Foot Slough, Cross Ledge, Ship John,
and Bouys 19, 32 and 34. Surf fishermen can get in on the striper action from the bulkhead in Fortescue, and from
Gandy's Beach, Reed's Beach and East Point.

Good spots to chunk on the Delaware side of the Bay include the Coral Beds off Slaughter Beach and the
Broadkill Slough.

In the spring, stripers go up the Delaware River to spawn and to chase River Herring.
Up near the turnpike bridge, and also below the falls at Trenton, fishermen snag the herring and use them to
liveline for stripers. I hope they release the stripers because these are the ones that are in the process of
spawning.

The shores of the bay are largely composed of salt
marshes and mud flats. This type of shoreline, plus the fact that the bay is fed my numerous rivers and streams
in addition to the Delaware River, make it an ideal estuary and nursery for striped bass. Although the Chesapeake Bay
and the Hudson River are the most well known spawning grounds for stripers, a significant number of striped bass
grow up in the Delaware Bay.

Delaware Bay is also noted for black drum and weakfish. However, the weakfish population has
declined in recent years.